The day you start your period is Day 1 of your cycle. For a lot of women, the ovulation day is Day 14. (This is an average, so if you are trying to conceive, start temping or using an ovulation test kit.) The day your next period comes is Day 1 again, no matter how long or short your prior period was.
So if I had "normal" period Aug 5th(cd1) through 8th and then started stopping again dark red and brown for two days...Do I again start at CD1(Aug 17) or not?
My cycles have been 28,28,29,28,35 days the last five months?
If by "started stopping again" you mean you had spotting, I would count from the original period date on August 5 and think of the bleeding at August 17 as mid-cycle spotting. Cycle day 1 is the first day of a regular period, flowing, not sputtering, etc. Only you can decide if that mid-cycle bleeding was more like spotting or more like a period. (It would have been right around ovulation, correct?) If it went on to be a soild three, four or five-day flow, like a period, then I'd call it a period. Otherwise it could be anything depending on your situation -- from too light of hormones in a birth-control prescription (breakthrough bleeding) to implantation bleeding to ovulation causing some bleeding.
OK, that makes sense. My cycle is 28 days, not 29. And it would have me ovulating about 2 weeks after my cycle ends. But, when I do decide to TTC and get off BC that will change, right? I've heard people talk about charting...are there any kind of directions to look at to see what the temp should be and when? I'm hoping when I come off the pill and wait my 2 normal cycles, as my doc said, that it will just happen. I got pregnant in March (what a surprise...we weren't planning on that so soon), but it ended in a miscarriage. Just want to take extra precaution the next time and make sure everything is fine. Thanks,
Kristy